Drivers’
strike
++


Train
operators
in
England
are
warning
of
another
day
of
severe
disruption
on
Saturday,
when
ASLEF
stages
a
24-hour
strike
of
drivers
at
11
companies.
There
could
also
be
some
disruption
on
Sunday
morning
as
a
result
of
the
previous
day‘s
strike.
The
Rail
Delivery
Group’s
director
of
industry
operations
Daniel
Mann
said: ‘The
strike
by
ASLEF
brings
more
uncertainty
for
passengers
and
businesses by
disrupting
their
weekend
plans.’
Rugby
fans
who
plan
to
see
England
v
South
Africa
at
Twickenham
or
Wales
v
Australia
at
Cardiff
are
being
advised
to
check
with
train
operators
for
travel
updates.
The
operators
affected
will
be
Avanti
West
Coast,
Chiltern
Railways,
CrossCountry,
East
Midlands
Railway,
Great
Western
Railway,
Greater
Anglia,
LNER,
Northern,
Southeastern,
TransPennine
Express,
and
West
Midlands
Trains.

Bridge
repaired
++


Network
Rail
said
a
bridge
which
was
badly
damaged
by
a
lorry
in
Rutland
on
5
November
is
set
to
reopen
fully
to
trains
on
Wednesday,
when
passenger
services
between
Leicester
and
Peterborough
will
be
resumed.
The
bridge
strike
at
Foster’s
Bridge
in
Ketton
closed
one
line,
and
freight
trains
have
been
worked
bi-directionally
over
the
remaining
track
while
engineers
rebuilt
the
other
half
of
the
bridge
deck.
Services
between
Birmingham
and
Leicester
have
been
running
normally,
and
an
hourly
service
between
Peterborough,
Cambridge
and
Stansted
Airport
has
also
continued.
The
line
is
one
of
only
two
routes
for
freight
traffic
between
the
Midlands
and
the
port
of
Felixstowe.
Network
Rail
added
that
the
road
under
the
bridge
should
reopen
by
18.00
on
Friday.
Network
Rail
told
Railnews
that
when
a
bridge
is
damaged
by
a
high
vehicle
it
‘always
looks
to
recover
the
entire
repair
and
train
delay
costs
from
hauliers’.